Group 2 winner in U.S. debut

Turf fillies and mares share the spotlight during Keeneland’s first full week of racing this spring, with the Grade 1 Jenny Wiley Stakes anchoring Saturday’s card and the return of globetrotting champion Lady Aurelia on the undercard. Wednesday’s eight-race card kicks off the week with two competitive allowance events featuring fillies and mares who are either exiting stakes company or look bound for that level.

The final race on the card, a $78,000 conditioned allowance for fillies and mares on the turf, features the U.S. debut of La Sardane. The filly has missed the board only once while running in her native France and won the Group 2 Prix de Sandringham last June. She makes her first start since then and her first for trainer Neil Drysdale on Wednesday. Flavien Prat is in to ride.

The field features another graded stakes winner in Purely a Dream, who captured last year’s Grade 3 Bourbonette Oaks on Turfway’s Polytrack. She finished second in the Latonia Stakes on the same track last month in her second start off a long layoff.

Mythical Mission, making her first start for Graham Motion, competed with distinction throughout the Canadian triple tiara on turf and synthetic last summer, finishing second in the Woodbine Oaks and Bison City Stakes and third in the Wonder Where Stakes.

The fourth race on the Wednesday card, a $76,000 allowance for 3-year-old fillies on the turf, also includes two European imports in an overflow field. Punked makes her first outing for Chad Brown after winning once from four starts in her native Ireland. La Signare, now with Brian Lynch, comes off a maiden win in France last November.

Lalibela posted a debut win last month at Gulfstream Park for trainer Michael Matz, earning a Beyer Speed Figure of 78, the top number in this field. The Giant’s Causeway filly is one of several royally bred runners in this field. She is out of a Galileo mare from the family of champions Devil’s Bag, Glorious Song, and Singspiel.

Subtle Step, from the penultimate crop of leading sire Smart Strike, was a rare purchase at public auction by the Phipps and Janney families as a yearling. She won her debut last October on the Keeneland turf before finishing 12th in the Wait a While Stakes in December.

Cool Beans was placed first via disqualification in her only start last August at Saratoga. The filly taken down, Significant Form, went on to win the Grade 3 Miss Grillo Stakes.

Toinette, who ships in for Drysdale, is stretching out off a maiden win going 6 1/2 furlongs at Santa Anita.

Ultima D won the Kentucky Downs Juvenile Fillies last September. She is making her first start since finishing 12th in the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies Turf. Also on Wednesday’s card: ◗ Hollywood Park was shuttered more than four years ago, but Woodmans Luck is still going strong. The 10-year-old gelding won the final race at Hollywood on Dec. 22, 2013, and he runs Wednesday in race 3, a $20,000 claiming race.

He has passed through a number of barns via the claiming box and is currently co-owned and trained by Michelle Lovell. His career mark stands at 79-13-19-13, with earnings of $521,105.